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Cork insulation; a complete illustrated textbook on cork insulation ...

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FIRE RETARDANT 481<br />

the wall, or <strong>on</strong>e can provide a cement wainscoat 54-in- thick over the<br />

asphalt dampproof emulsi<strong>on</strong>.<br />

Detailed instructi<strong>on</strong>s for waterproofing and dampproofing in building<br />

c<strong>on</strong>structi<strong>on</strong> are c<strong>on</strong>tained in circulars issued by manufacturers.<br />

Asphalt emulsi<strong>on</strong>, like Korkseal, is also effective for sealing pipe<br />

coverings and is greatly to be preferred to the black crude oil paint<br />

or tar comm<strong>on</strong>ly employed for this purpose.<br />

HOW INSULATION SAVED A REFINERY.*<br />

An interesting example of how material installed for <strong>on</strong>e purpose<br />

may render valuable service in a quite unexpected way occurred last<br />

summer at the plant of the Island Petroleum Co., Neville Island,<br />

Pittsburgh, Pa.<br />

The company had recently <str<strong>on</strong>g>complete</str<strong>on</strong>g>d three steel cold settling<br />

tanks, 20 feet in diameter by 25 feet high, for bright stock. Being<br />

operated part of the time at low temperature produced by brine<br />

refrigerati<strong>on</strong>, these tanks were insulated with three inches of N<strong>on</strong>pareil<br />

<strong>cork</strong>board furnished and installed by the Armstr<strong>on</strong>g <str<strong>on</strong>g>Cork</str<strong>on</strong>g> &<br />

Insulati<strong>on</strong> Co. At the time of this incident they were practically<br />

filled with oil.<br />

On August 25, 1921, during a violent electrical storm accompanied<br />

by unusually heavy rain, lightning struck <strong>on</strong>e of the crude oil tanks.<br />

The resulting explosi<strong>on</strong> released a large quantity of burning oil<br />

which spread out over the partially flooded yard and practically surrounded<br />

the nearest settling tank; hastily c<strong>on</strong>structed dikes shut it<br />

off from immediate c<strong>on</strong>tact with the others.<br />

For nearly three hours the fire raged around this tank, and for<br />

almost an hour, the flames were leaping directly against its sides,<br />

while the officials and employees, striving to stop the spread of the<br />

fire, momentarily expected the big tank to "let go" with c<strong>on</strong>sequent<br />

disaster to the entire plant. Three times the hatch <strong>on</strong> the roof lifted<br />

to allow the escape of accumulated gas, but the remarkable heat<br />

retarding quality of the <strong>cork</strong>board <str<strong>on</strong>g>insulati<strong>on</strong></str<strong>on</strong>g> kept the temperature<br />

below the danger point, and the fire finally burned itself out with no<br />

further loss of property or damage to the insulated tank bey<strong>on</strong>d a<br />

slight charring of the outer surface of the <strong>cork</strong>board <str<strong>on</strong>g>insulati<strong>on</strong></str<strong>on</strong>g>.<br />

The Island Petroleum Co. officials are unanimous in the opini<strong>on</strong><br />

that nothing but the protecti<strong>on</strong> afforded by the <str<strong>on</strong>g>insulati<strong>on</strong></str<strong>on</strong>g> prevented<br />

the destructi<strong>on</strong> of all three tanks and the heavy loss such an ex-<br />

plosi<strong>on</strong> would have entailed.<br />

Though <str<strong>on</strong>g>insulati<strong>on</strong></str<strong>on</strong>g> may seldom be called up<strong>on</strong> to withstand so<br />

severe a test, the record of this performance is c<strong>on</strong>vincing proof<br />

of the n<strong>on</strong>c<strong>on</strong>ducting property and fire resistance of <strong>cork</strong>board.<br />

*Extracted from Ice and Refriyeratwn, June, 1922, Page 460.

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